Events

This is an online meeting only: Join by registering here. This registration covers both events.

Exploring Pictures with AI: the Good and the Bad / 9 a.m. EST

Presenter: Paul Cripwell

You’ve acquired a picture of an object, scene, or ancestor but have no idea of its location or timeframe. How do you find out? Ask AI! That seems to be the answer to everything these days. But how do you know if the information you get back is accurate? Paul Cripwell will walk you through the explorations he conducted on some of his own pictures—what AI got right, what it got wrong, and how he figured it out.

Paul Cripwell began his family history journey after retiring from NavCanada in 2018. Since then, he has encountered a flood of new databases, software, and research methods—and, fortunately, he’s no stranger to steep learning curves. His latest challenge is exploring how AI can be applied to genealogy. The possibilities seem endless.

Rain-Soaked Roots: Weather Shaped the Lives of Our British Isles Ancestors / 10 a.m. EST

Presenter: John Reid

Weather touched every part of our ancestors’ lives—from daily chores under rainy skies to celebrations on sunny summer days, from mild seasons that brought good harvests to the storms that forced people to adapt or move on. This talk explores how both ordinary and extreme weather shaped life across the UK, Ireland and beyond. Drawing on official records, newspapers, and personal diaries, John will trace how weather influenced work, health, migration, and memory, revealing a layer of family history often overlooked.

Dr John D Reid, a son of Norfolk, enjoyed a 31-year career with Canada's Meteorological Service and has now been researching and writing about family history for almost as long. Since 2006, he has blogged almost daily at Canada's Anglo-Celtic Connections, an online resource for those tracing British and Canadian roots. A past president of BIFHSGO, a member of Ancestry.ca's advisory Board, and a past chair of the City of Ottawa Arts, Heritage and Culture Advisory Committee, he has authored articles in Canadian and UK magazines and journals and lectured internationally. His family history research has uncovered direct ancestors who were teachers, a motor mechanic, a WW2 prisoner of war, musicians, a Church of England Minister, a Rabbi, shopkeepers, a sergeant in the US Army, a cigar maker, a teenage coal miner, numerous homemakers, and loads of AgLabs. Perhaps, if some unrecorded event doesn't break the chain, also an Astronomer Royal of Portugal.

Drop-in Chat Thursday, 19 February 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. EST

Want to chat over a coffee and sweet treat with BIFHSGO friends?

Drop in to The White Pine Café at Arlington Woods Church 225 McClellan Road, off Greenbank Road. 

This is a hybrid meeting:

• Join us in person at Knox Presbyterian Church (Lisgar & Elgin) in Geneva Hall. Please use the Garden Entrance on Elgin Street. Limited free street parking is available on Saturdays, and the City Hall Parking Garage is available for $2.00.
• Join online by registering here.

. This registration covers both events.

Tips for Using FamilySearch's Full Text Search / 9 a.m. EDT

Presenter: Ken McKinlay

The application of AI-driven handwriting recognition technology in FamilySearch's search has opened up the records to genealogy and family history researchers in ways we couldn't have imagined just a few years ago. In the past, we would consider ourselves fortunate if we came across a collection where the principal names had been indexed. Now, practically all the names and words in many digitized collections have been indexed for us. Ken will provide us with some tips and tricks to help us find those previously overlooked or hard to find records on FamilySearch.

Embarking on a genealogical adventure over two decades ago, Ken McKinlay's quest began with a mission to confirm or debunk three family stories. Despite uncovering the truths behind those initial tales, Ken's passion for delving into his family's past remains steadfast, fueled by a constant stream of new questions. As a sought-after speaker by branches of Ontario Ancestors, the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa, and other genealogy societies across Canada, Ken McKinlay shares his expertise through engaging talks and workshops. His topics have included researching those who have fought for Canada in the world wars, exploring the Canadian censuses, delving into the mysteries of Ontario Land Records, and an eight-part series covering "Back to Basics" research for the British Isles. In 2025 he made his debut with Legacy Family Tree Webinars with his talk "Exploring Library and Archives Canada Online." His presentations also focus on genealogical methodologies and overcoming genealogy brick walls. Beyond public speaking, Ken shares his insights on his blog, Family Tree Knots (https://familytreeknots.blogspot.com/), providing a valuable resource for fellow enthusiasts.

Thistles and Cedar, Hearts Entwined in War / 10 a.m. EDT

Presenter: Wendy Jocko

Wendy Jocko will tell the story of the marriage between her Scottish-born mother and her Algonquin First Nation father. Wilhelmina Barr McKay, an orphan, had survived childhood trauma when she met the Algonquin soldier Leo Alexander Jocko during WW II, married him and moved to Canada. Their intercultural marriage weathered initial hardships in rural Canada, a decade-long separation, and eventual reconciliation, creating a family that embodied both their rich heritages, a microcosm of Canada's multicultural tapestry.

Wendy Jocko is an Indigenous leader, military veteran, and public servant with over four decades of service to community and country. She served in the Canadian Forces from 1979 to 2002, including tours in Bosnia and Croatia. She later returned to Canada and Pikwakanagan as Councillor and Chief of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation. Her career also included work as a Funeral Director Embalmer and Scottish Regional Governor of the British Institute of Funeral Directing, as well as a transport truck operator in Saskatchewan’s oil patch.

Focusing on the Migrants: How Genealogy has Transformed our Understanding of the Irish in Canada

Part of the International Lecture Series with the Irish Genealogical Research Society (IGRS)

BIFHSGO is honoured to present the inaugural event in an international lecture series to celebrate the IGRS' 90th anniversary.

David A. Wilson, Professor of History and Celtic Studies at the University of Toronto and General Editor of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, will discuss how genealogical research has played a key role in opening new perspectives on the Irish in Canada. After a general overview of Irish Canadian history, he will present three case studies that highlight the contribution of genealogy to historical research.

This lecture is free of charge, with donations gratefully accepted at the event or online.  A discussion period will follow and light refreshments will be served.  Various local historical and genealogical groups will be in attendance.

The event will be held at Knox Presbyterian Church in Ottawa, at 120 Lisgar St. (corner of Elgin Street) at 2 p.m. Ottawa time (6:00 p.m. in Ireland - note only 4 hours difference on this date). The lecture is available to watch online by registering here.  Doors will open at 1:30 p.m.

See details.

This is a hybrid meeting:

• Join us in person at Knox Presbyterian Church (Lisgar & Elgin) in Geneva Hall. Please use the Garden Entrance on Elgin Street. Limited free street parking is available on Saturdays, and the City Hall Parking Garage is available for $2.00.
• Join online by registering here.

. This registration covers both events.

The Travelling Genealogist: BIFHSGO members' top tips for travelling to research your family history / 9 a.m. EDT

Interactive discussion with attendees

The Rise and Fall of John Lowther Kemp Sr. 1793–1869 

Presenter: Doug Loucks

This “riches to rags” story began with newspaper clippings found early in 2023 that reported: “Mr. John Lowther Kemp, formerly hop merchant at Canterbury has been nominated by the Right Hon. the Earl of Romney as a poor brother of the Charter House.” This exciting find prompted hours of research, and a trip overseas to tour the Charterhouse and to walk the streets of Canterbury where Doug Loucks’ 4x great -grandfather John rose to great wealth before the changing times swept him into poverty.

Doug Loucks has been an avid amateur genealogist since the 1960s.  He is the Past President of the Grand River Branch of The United Empire Loyalists and holds two UEL certificates. Doug retired seven years ago as a United Church Minister, and prior to that he was a Senior Technician in Microbiology at the University of Guelph. Doug lives in St Marys, Ontario, with his wife Jane. They have four children and six grandchildren. Doug is a member of BIFHSGO and greatly appreciates the mentoring he received in preparing this presentation.